Which Press to Buy? Upgrading from the Dillon 550B

[Orion1]

I will be upgrading from a Dillon 550B to another press - thinking the Dillon 750, 1100, or Mark 7 Apex 10. I have been shooting two pistol calibers competitively for ten years and will continue into retirement 25 years down the road. I've had some concerns about my 550 and have spent about $200 upgrading, replacing, and repairing parts. If I upgrade to another press can I mitigate these concerns/issues:

• Variations in the bullet seating depth from 0.001" to 0.008", bullets and brass are of high quality (Zero/Hornady and Starline)
• Powder flakes spill from powder measure funnel
• Primer cup constantly snags on the shell plate about every 100 rounds and needs to be re-adjusted
• When using 45 ACP range brass, I have to really pull down hard to size. High quality brass size like butter. If I upgrade, does the machine do more work here?
• Precision is an utmost concern, I shoot competitively
• 9mm spent-primers constantly shoot out from the press
• Concerns of double powder charge
• Might want to reload for 30-06 one day

I want to spend more time dry firing and less time reloading. I've also watched just about every 750 & 1100 video out there. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Orion1

[Dirty_J]

Presses like the Dillon 1100 are meant for high volumes of a single caliber. They can be converted… but the cost and process is much more significant than something like the 750. No experience with the Apex..  but I’d presume it to be similar. 

 

With that said… I have the RL1100 and I love it. Best press I’ve ever used. 

[Furrly]

How many rounds are you firing a month?? 

[ranger]

Will any progressive press address your concerns of "Variations in the bullet seating depth from 0.001" to 0.008""? 

[Dirty_J]

5 minutes ago, ranger said:

Will any progressive press address your concerns of "Variations in the bullet seating depth from 0.001" to 0.008""? 

Must be shooting pistol caliber PRS  

[oteroman]

You have many years of shooting ahead of you. 
I ran SD, 550, LnL and finally went with a 1050. I too am a competitive shooter. I shoot 9, 40, 45 and 223. 
80% 9mm

Just because a press is designed for a certain volume doesn’t mean your volume must be in that range. 
In my experience the consistency is better with my 1050. 
I am old

The 1050 (1100) are so smooth it is easier on you. What i do is make a large run of ammo that will last several months. As i said i have run other presses. I feel the the precision/consistency is much better with the 1050. 
It helps IMO to do large runs assuming your press is setup correctly for consistency. The variability is less IMO with the 1050 (1100). 
Changing calibers is not a big deal. 
i bought separate toolheads/powder drops for each caliber but if your not in a hurry you can just change powder recalibrate, change dies.. 

Changing from small to large primers is easy as well. 
buy once cry once. 


 

[HesedTech]

1 hour ago, Orion1 said:

If I upgrade to another press can I mitigate these concerns/issues:

 

1 hour ago, Orion1 said:

Precision is an utmost concern, I shoot competitively

Any press is capable of the precision you require, even FClass rifle. Check out FClass John who loads precision rifle on a 550 and 750.

https://youtu.be/F4nnV9guYg0

 

For USPSA and IDPA, 3 gun, PRS... precision is relative. 

 

If you have the funds the 1100 is a better choice than the 750. If funds are an issue get the 750.

 

As far as other brands go, Hornady, RCBS, Lee... they all load precise enough to shoot a sub MOA or less at 100 yards, the process to achieve this is up to the user.

 

Personally I recommend picking one brand and sticking to it for standardization. For instance, Dillon powder measures fit on all three of their presses, Hornady has their "Lock -N- Load" system, and Lee....

 

 

[Joe4d]

interested in the 550

 

[ultimase]

9 hours ago, Orion1 said:

I will be upgrading from a Dillon 550B to another press - thinking the Dillon 750, 1100, or Mark 7 Apex 10. I have been shooting two pistol calibers competitively for ten years and will continue into retirement 25 years down the road. I've had some concerns about my 550 and have spent about $200 upgrading, replacing, and repairing parts. If I upgrade to another press can I mitigate these concerns/issues:

• Variations in the bullet seating depth from 0.001" to 0.008", bullets and brass are of high quality (Zero/Hornady and Starline) ***most presses can replicate this, you will likely need to upgrade the seating depth dies and sort your brass.
• Powder flakes spill from powder measure funnel ***unfortunately, spills will happen, not sure there's a design that's better than others.
• Primer cup constantly snags on the shell plate about every 100 rounds and needs to be re-adjusted ***I've not had to replace primer cups on the 450, 550, or 1050's that I can remember.
• When using 45 ACP range brass, I have to really pull down hard to size. High quality brass size like butter. If I upgrade, does the machine do more work here? ***the 1050 has a huge amount of leverage, where I had trouble using a undersize die on the hornady LNL the 1050 has more resistance than a standard sizing die, but you don't notice much. I don't use any lube after wet tumbling but with any lube your effort would be quite a bit less.
• Precision is an utmost concern, I shoot competitively ***we'll need more information on this one. Competitively where you need every single MOA ie long distance rifle? or pistol competitions limited to maybe 25 yards? honestly, most of these presses will be fine in that aspect. If you're chasing every single MOA then you might be better off single stage handloading.
• 9mm spent-primers constantly shoot out from the press ***it's been a while since I've loaded on the 550 or 450, but I don't remember primers shooting out of the press. on the 1050 every so often I'll get a primer that seems to drop out randomly.
• Concerns of double powder charge ***moving up from the 550 you'll be in auto indexing, which makes it much more difficult to double charge, your 550 has much more of a possibility of a double charge than any of the other presses you've mentioned. The 1050/1100 even have a ratcheting system to try to keep you from doing this, though many will disable these.
• Might want to reload for 30-06 one day *** I think most of the presses are capable of this, but I'm not familiar with the mark 7. The 1050/1100 is very good at producing a lot of ammo in a short amount of time, but caliber changes are expensive. For example if you want another toolhead setup for another caliber the 1100 is going to cost you roughly 200 for the caliber conversion, and then another 355-395 for the toolhead and powder measure. The 700 toolhead and powder measure is 160 and the conversion kit starts at 27-130. This all assumes that you're shooting the same primer size, or you'll need to pick up another primer system as well.

I want to spend more time dry firing and less time reloading. I've also watched just about every 750 & 1100 video out there. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. 

 

I'll quote and answer in your post. The biggest question mark is going to be how much you shoot, and what type of shooting. Unless you need to sell the 550 to fund the other presses, you might want to hold onto it for the 30-06.

[MNshooter]

I had a 550b which I sold to buy a 750 + all the upgrades. The 750 is a fine press but I switch calibers rarely. 

<Cher voice> 

if I could turn back time

</Cher voice>
 

I would have kept the 550b and purchased the 1050/1100. Swaging would be really nice to have. Plus, once you’re done upgrading the 650/750 you’re not that far off the price a 1050/1100. Regardless of which you choose, a bullet feeder is a must. 

[Orion1]

On 12/31/2022 at 9:45 AM, Furrly said:

How many rounds are you firing a month?? 

 

1,500

 

On 12/31/2022 at 3:54 PM, Joe4d said:

interested in the 550

 

 

It's on ebay at the moment.

 

Thanks for the feedback, I think I'll go with the 1100. Too bad configuration prices went up in 2023. 

[Orion1]

Just purchased the RL1100 in 45. Thanks for the recommendations. The reason why I went with the 1100 over the Mark 7 Apex is Dillons commitment to customer service. I had a few problems with my 550 press in December and Dillon sent me free parts and tools to get it working. Dillons $40 investment turned into a $2500 sale. 

[m700]

2500 plus 1000 in accessories.

[ExStreetWalker]

On 12/31/2022 at 10:02 AM, ranger said:

Will any progressive press address your concerns of "Variations in the bullet seating depth from 0.001" to 0.008""? 

This makes me laugh.  I'm betting he's never measured his bullets.

There's NO shooter on earth that could tell the difference in a 9mm, .40 S&W, or 45 ACP with a variation of 0.008" in bullet seating depth.

 

Just because you can measure something doesn't mean it's something to be concerned about.

[NoSteel]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:29 PM, Orion1 said:

Just purchased the RL1100 in 45. Thanks for the recommendations. The reason why I went with the 1100 over the Mark 7 Apex is Dillons commitment to customer service. I had a few problems with my 550 press in December and Dillon sent me free parts and tools to get it working. Dillons $40 investment turned into a $2500 sale. 

Your warranty on the 1100 is not the same as it was on your 550.  You’ll still get the support.  2yr. defects vs. no BS lifetime unconditional.

[Scotty_JR]

I'm looking to do the same thing. Please update your experiences whenever you think about. I have a 550c but considering a 1100 for 9mm only. And keeping the 550c for small runs of rifle/pistol. 

[robertg5322]

If you can afford it, the 1100 is great. Swaging station is why I went with it vs. the 750. Got tired of crimped 9mm brass being an issue, and now it's not. Stepped brass is another story, the swaging die won't go past the step, but it's less common here than crimped brass. I also hate reloading, so I just set a week, load a bunch of primer tubes, and go nuts once every few months

[Cuz]

20 hours ago, robertg5322 said:

If you can afford it, the 1100 is great. Swaging station is why I went with it vs. the 750. Got tired of crimped 9mm brass being an issue, and now it's not. Stepped brass is another story, the swaging die won't go past the step, but it's less common here than crimped brass. I also hate reloading, so I just set a week, load a bunch of primer tubes, and go nuts once every few months

Same here, I got the 1100 because I'm old and wanted an easier loading process.  I love my 1100. 

[yelpspoon]

On 3/26/2023 at 11:18 AM, robertg5322 said:

If you can afford it, the 1100 is great. Swaging station is why I went with it vs. the 750. Got tired of crimped 9mm brass being an issue, and now it's not. Stepped brass is another story, the swaging die won't go past the step, but it's less common here than crimped brass. I also hate reloading, so I just set a week, load a bunch of primer tubes, and go nuts once every few months

 

I wish I would have kept my 750 when I got an 1100.  It would be great to just test out new loads, or keep some utility dies on there (bullet puller, etc)...but that ship has sailed.

[robertg5322]

On 3/27/2023 at 10:01 AM, yelpspoon said:

 

I wish I would have kept my 750 when I got an 1100.  It would be great to just test out new loads, or keep some utility dies on there (bullet puller, etc)...but that ship has sailed.

That's why I kept my 550 (with case feeder and bullet feeder). I figured if I ever wanted to make .45, I'd have a somewhat efficient press set up without the bother if changing to large primers on the 1100. I also have a naked 550 (no case feeder or bullet feeder), for .308, or any other low volume stuff that may be needed.

 

I've come to the conclusion that you can never have too many presses, so I just keep what I have when I upgrade something.